On December 20, 2000,
President-elect George W. Bush announced Ann Veneman, former secretary
of the California Department of Food and Agriculture under Republican
Governor Pete Wilson, was his top choice for secretary of the US Department
of Agriculture (USDA). Ms. Veneman has experience with the USDA having
served as a deputy secretary under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George
Bush (1986-93). Currently she is working as an attorney in a private practice.

According to the New
York Times, while representatives of farming, timber and mining groups
applauded her selection, environmental groups and organizations representing
small farmers called Ms. Veneman a troubling choice. They point out that
as a strong proponent of free-market trade (she helped negotiate GATT)
and multiple-uses for public lands - and as a chairwoman of Mr. Bush's
campaign in California - she would favor a larger role for business and
a retreat from policies that have helped family farms and protected national
forest lands.

Environmentalists
are also concerned over Ms. Veneman's stance on genetically modified crops,
given her position on the board of the Calgene Corporation, a biotechnology
company actively involved with producing genetically modified agricultural
crops.